Padmanaban is passionate on entrepreneurship and love to be a social entrepreneur, connecting with likeminded people and friends to generate and launch change making ideas. He is a founder of SPICE (Society Promoting Innovation Creativity and Entrepreneurship) Foundation, a social venture established by group of likeminded social entrepreneurs on May 2014 with the mission of promoting increased culture of Innovation, social entrepreneurship and sustainability in India. He is a Serial Entrepreneur working on various startup ideas and social ventures. Initiator of No food waste awareness drive and No food waste awareness marathon in Coimbatore and Tirupur. Presentation and awareness talk has been given in more than 50 schools and is still counting.
Which three adjective describe your strengths?
Social connect i.e. ability to connect with society very quickly and understand their problems. Communalism leadership is nothing but building a team of people, creating lot of leaders and all treated as one, but you are leading a team which I am practicing in my life.Equal credits to everyone in a team.
Tell me about a time when you had to slog your way through a ton of work. How did you get through it?
Entrepreneurship is tougher than a job. Prior schedules will make the process of completing each work automatically. As to say it in simple terms, we don’t stick to the time instead we stick to the work we are committed on the particular day. I usually put daily challenges to myself and once I complete it then that’s the next step I am reaching to attain success. I don’t feel that the time is so hectic, instead I love working smartly since being an entrepreneur. It’s my child, so I have to bring it up with full love and passion.
What sacrifices have you had to make to be an entrepreneur?
Personal happiness and the high package jobs are the first things I sacrificed. It initially made me feel low at times but I started loving my work so that doesn’t affect me so much.
How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?
During the initial three years it literally affects you to the core but it happens only until the business sustains. Spending time with the family is affected completely till a point where the system can take care of itself.
Excluding yours what business do you admire the most?
Since each day a new startup is blooming, my admiration keeps changing periodically. I wanted to prove myself in an unorganized sector which is the most challenging and I took this admiration from a startup called “shaper”. Organizing in an unorganized sector has become a trend so I love to push me in it and prove myself.
How do you cope with nerves before public speaking?
I can’t lead and address a team during my school days, and moreover I had stage fear. Once, my teacher told me a trick to overcome this, he said “just raise your hands whenever someone questions you in a big crowd and start saying the relevant things”. I started practicing it and all my stage fear flew away from me. Usually during any guest lecture or public speaking I don’t prepare anything in prior. I like spontaneity which supported me always. When you are speaking something from your heart you don’t need to have any fear, when you are creating anything artificial and trying to project, it is going to be definitely a problem for the one who is going to start in public speaking.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
The thing which annoyed me recently is, some people, in the name of encouraging young entrepreneurs, they are trying to utilize us without understanding our motto (collecting surplus quantity of food). They value the youngsters based on the skills not on the experience and age concerned to entrepreneurship.
What you like the most either your first failure or last success?
“My success is going to be my shutdown”. Whatever principle I am taking is for a social cause and based on a social issue so when it is completely demolished then I will shut down my company and that’s my success. I can’t say I like my success, instead I would say I like my shutdown.
If you think that you are a successful entrepreneur then what is the reason behind that?
Connecting close with the young community and working on with inspiring ideas are the main reasons behind my success. Moreover I enjoy when some youngsters make my idea lively rather than me. Other than that, I will develop the concept, give to my team and make them play in the ground, is the biggest strategy I follow.
Will studying management concepts in book help you to perform well in real time business?
Books will give you the general agenda it’s not going to be your agenda. It depends on people and the situation. It is the experience and the management situations at different points will gain you some lessons for yourself which will be the ultimate guide for oneself. Developing a unique brand for you is the utmost management skill which I preach.
Have you felt bad for doing business rather than going for a job at any point?
No I didn’t feel so. During my initial stages of startup, financial crunches pushed me down but I didn’t get an idea of switching to a job quitting my passion. “Stand three years the world will take you to the next level in the fourth year, just focus on the thought that you have” this motivated me to travel with my passion.
It’s a great movement of the youngsters, by the youngsters, for the youngsters. I’m so impressed with what all you guys are doing for rejuvenating young minds. My hearty wishes to the team of Ilaiya Thalaimurai.
Your view on IT?